


FYI, See Attached

by coraxes



Series: dishonored shorts [9]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Human Outsider (Dishonored), Post-Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, someone please let corvo have a nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22035088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coraxes/pseuds/coraxes
Summary: They had to let Emily and Corvo know about the Outsider's situation somehow.
Relationships: Billie Lurk | Meagan Foster & The Outsider
Series: dishonored shorts [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1285394
Comments: 7
Kudos: 91





	FYI, See Attached

“Here?” the silvergrapher asked. “Are you sure?”

Billie batted the Outsider’s hands away from her collar. The wind kept making it flop over, even the brick behind them not enough to shield it. “We’re sure,” Billie said. “Is the lighting okay?”

“It’s fine.” The Outsider had recommended their silvergrapher, Antonio, because he often did portraits of the Howlers. He had definitely seen odder than two people who wanted their silvergraphs taken in front of a piece of graffiti. “Are you two ready, then?”

“One moment,” said the Outsider. Billie leaned back against the wall and he mirrored her, crossing his arms.

Antonio knelt behind his camera and peered through the lens. “A little closer. Pretend you like each other.”

The Outsider and Billie both snorted. He gave in first, inching along the stone until his elbow was digging into her shoulder.

“Alright, three, two, one—”

And, since he knew it would rankle Billie, the Outsider propped his arm on Billie’s shoulder and grinned. She dug her elbow into his ribs, and the silvergrapher’s bulb flashed.

“Um,” said Antonio. “Would you like to take another?”

The Outsider glanced at Billie. She shrugged, but there was a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. Billie liked to poke fun at him for being dramatic, but he was pretty certain she was fond of the dramatics herself. It had been easy enough to convince her to do this.

“No, that should do,” said the Outsider.

A few days later, Billie picked up the silvergraph from Antonio’s studio. “They’re not going to recognize you,” she told him, handing it over.

The Outsider scratched at his jaw. Maybe he should have shaved, after all. He kept forgetting it was something he needed to do. Instead of giving Billie the satisfaction, though, he said, “They’re more observant than you give them credit for.”

Billie rolled her eyes. She’d made her opinion on Corvo and Emily’s skills clear, both before and after she and the Outsider had officially met.

Well, thought the Outsider. If nothing else, the background made their situation rather obvious.

* * *

“This came in for you, sir,” said one of Corvo’s officers in an undertone, dropping a thin envelope on his desk.

Corvo frowned and picked the letter up. It had been sent from Karnaca, and the Dunwall address was written in blocky handwriting he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t been expecting a report through that drop any time soon. “Thank you,” he told the officer. “Dismissed.”

Once the door had been shut Corvo felt along the length of the envelope. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; he opened it and pulled out a silvergraph. The graffiti in the background caught his eye first: THE OUTSIDER WALKS AMONG US, bright white against dark grey bricks. Corvo frowned—had someone found out about their marks? was this blackmail?—and then took in the faces below it.

Even with her new eyepatch, he recognized Billie Lurk from the reports he’d received from Karnaca. The man…between the beginnings of a beard over his angular face and the ordinary pale eyes, it took Corvo a moment to place him. And then another moment to convince himself he wasn’t hallucinating. The Outsider was grinning into the camera in a way Corvo hadn’t known he was capable of, as if enjoying the thought of giving Corvo a heart attack.

He and Emily thought something might be _wrong_ with the Outsider. They hadn’t considered _this._

On the back of the silvergraph in the same blocky handwriting were the words, _Hope you didn’t worry too much, old friends. Thought you should know. I’m sure we’ll see each other again someday._ The Outsider’s mark sat under the words like a signature.

“Well,” Corvo said aloud, and rubbed his eyes with one hand. Then he tucked the silvergraph in his pocket and went to go find Emily.

Someday, he hoped, the world would be considerate enough to stop sweeping his feet out from under him. Corvo was getting too old for these surprises.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are, as always, much appreciated.
> 
> i'm working on a longer post-DOTO thing about Billie & the Outsider bonding and shit, but finished this dumb thing first instead. 
> 
> that photo will be billie & the outsider's new album cover by the way. check out their soundcloud.


End file.
